Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Even being one of the longest, coldest winters we've had in a while, we managed to drop our budget billing payment from $344.00 to $223.00 per month - $121.00 savings per month! Too bad our health insurance went up $100 - it's always a give and take, isn't it?

How to Be Cheapo with the Gas-o and Electric-o:

Replace incandescent bulbs with curly, energy savers. We have slowly been doing this.

Close storm windows.

Seal around windows and door frames.

Insulate outer wall outlets.

Turn down your water heater a bit.

Wash/dry only full loads of laundry - use clothesline when possible.

Bundle up in the winter; dress down in the summer.

Turn down your heat when you're gone. Installing an electric thermostat helps in a big way, as you can set on/off times. In the winter, ours goes down to 62 when we are at work. The t-stat kicks it back up right before we come home. No sense in heating a house for ghosts. BOO!

Turn up your A/C - one or two degrees can make a huge difference.

Use nature as much as possible. We've been lucky to have a rather temperate springtime. While the nights are still cool, keep your windows open. This will cool your house down. Then, close them in the morning before the day warms up. Ours has stayed around 72 degrees all day - very comfy. In the past two months, we've only used our furnace once and the A/C one time. We're not always so fortunate.

Even though they are considered a decorator's faux pas, use ceiling fans. Our second floor is cold in the winter and warm in the summer. Since installing powerful, efficient ceiling fans upstairs, we've noticed a HUGE difference in balancing the climate of the house.

In the summer, grill outside and don't bake. Cooking just heats up the kitchen.

Do you have more energy saving tips? Please comment and share with us!